Skoda is planning for a range of fully electric models to join the Enyaq iV in its line-up as the company plans to latch on to the growing demand for electric vehicles, according to an Autocar report.
“We think the Enyaq is the perfect right step, and there will be a range of Enyaqs that will be expanded over the years,” Skoda head of sales and marketing Alain Favey told the magazine.
The Volkswagen ID.4 – with which the Enyaq shares its MEB modular electric drive platform – will come in both regular SUV and coupe bodystyles, according to Autocar, and development vehicles sighted indicate that Skoda will follow the same path for model development, it said.
The front half of the coupe Enyaq should remain identical to the standard SUV, while the coupe treatment starts from the B-pillar rearwards, where a smaller rear glasshouse features, and a rising shoulder line and sloping rear roofline and screen terminate at a sedan-style boot.
Where does Skoda plan to go from here with its EV line-up? The brand has ‘no solid plans’ for a next electric vehicle, Favey told Autocar, though the MEB platform certainly enables quicker development of EVs compared to internal combustion-engined vehicles, he said.
“It depends how quickly the EV market grows. The planning [for EVs] is less rigid than we might have in other segments – for example, [the replacement cycle for] the Octavia. We don’t know what demand will be in the EV market, but we think we’ve done our homework,” Favey said.
The arrival of EVs into Skoda’s range should help the brand grow market share in western European markets where its performance is weaker, he said. Skoda’s biggest markets after China are Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, Autocar reported.
“I see EVs as big potential – and not in our typical markets. In Norway, we have 6% market share, which is more than our European average in a country where everybody is buying an EV and we didn’t have one. Skoda in Norway is extremely excited to get the Enyaq. It gives us a great chance to conquer new markets,” said Favey.
More than half of Enyaq buyers will be new to the Skoda brand, he says, adding that they will be younger than the brand’s current demographic. Responding to a question on selling cars online, Favey said that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of online sales, and “the launch of [online sales] will be rolled out first in the UK. We’ve accelerated our plans in this direction,” he said. `
The Enyaq was offered at launch in five powertrain variants – a base 50 model with a rear-mounted motor producing 146 hp and 220 Nm of torque, supplied by a 55 kWh battery for a range of 340 km. the 60 offers 177 hp/310 Nm from a 62 kWh battery for 390 km of range, followed by the 80 variant with a 201 hp motor fed by an 82 kWh battery for 510 km of range.
The top two variants add a second motor on the front axle for greater performance, at the cost of battery range which drops to 460 km. These are the 80x with 261 hp, and the range-topping RS with 302 hp. The latter does 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and top speed of 180 km/h.
All variants are capable of 7.2 kW of AC charging and 50 kW of DC charging, while the 60 gets higher maximum inputs of 11 kW for AC charging and 100 kW for DC charging, while the 80 variants get uprated further with the full complement of DC fast charging at 150 kW.
GALLERY: Skoda Enyaq iV
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